


I Will Never Falter

by bgn846



Series: A/B/O AU Omega Ignis, Alpha Gladio & Noct, and Beta Prompto [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha Gladiolus Amicitia, Alpha Noctis Lucis Caelum, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Beta Prompto Argentum, Caretaking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Did I mention fluff... like lots of it, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fainting, Fluff, Gladio's got long hair, Gladnis, Hugging, Hurt/Comfort, Ignis can still see, Ignis crys sometimes, Kissing, M/M, Multi, No Smut, OT4, Older Chocobros (Final Fantasy XV), Omega Ignis Scientia, Sleepy Cuddles, There was no cyrstal sucking, Whump, Whumped Ignis, he doesn't want to be alone, lots of fluff, the council full of nasty old men strikes again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-06-29 14:02:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15730887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn846/pseuds/bgn846
Summary: Omega Ignis is usually able to hold his own even against the most obstinate alphas.  However, when the council decide to try and break him when his pack mates are away at a summit he will need all the help he can get.





	1. Just One More Day

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Scrolling through stories on AO3... find a/b/o fic. It took me a hot minute to figure out what the heck I was reading (Wikipedia you were no help btw) but of course since I'm a freaking nerd what do I get out of the whole a/b/o trope but...
> 
> Oh, people can purr, and scent each other, and growl... oh that's cool. The other bit involving knotting and heats I probably won't go into. I might mention it but that's it. So if you are looking for full on smut then you can stop right there cause there won't be any in this fic. Just lots and lots of fluffy cuddling + kissing. And a severely whumped Ignis. Hopefully someone will enjoy this. *Hits post button and runs away*

At this point Ignis was struggling to keep the overwhelming stench from making him retch.  Being surrounded by 12 angry alphas in a stuffy room was not a pleasant thing.  It was times like these he wished he was an alpha too, so he wouldn’t be so affected by their pheromones.  The council had always been difficult to deal with but they had been in rare form all week. 

Being an omega wasn’t easy and situations like this made that painfully clear.  Ignis only had one more lonely night to go before his pack came home and he could finally relax. The prince, his shield, and royal photographer had all gone to an important summit for the whole week.  Even the king and his shield had gone.  Ignis planned to accompany them but the council had made a stink requesting he stay.

He soon understood why since all they had done was sequester him in meeting after meeting trying to force him to sign all manner of questionable decrees.  It had been a tiring week of high ranking officials trying to use their alpha influence.  They had all assumed Ignis would be more susceptible to manipulation since his pack mates were absent.  

They were understandably surprised when the advisor not only denied all their requests but managed to hold his own when debating his directive instead.  Ignis was not about to let these egotistical alphas get the better of him.

Needless to say the week had made him mentally and physically exhausted.  However, he had to focus on surviving this one last council session before he was allowed to truly take a break.   The session had started just after lunch and had been going strong for five hours already.  One of the senior council members had insisted that whoever was speaking needed to stand.  He knew that Ignis would most likely be doing a lot of talking and had wanted to prematurely tire him. 

He had been standing for a better part of the meeting and his feet were aching causing him to shuffle in front of his chair.  He also noted around dinner time that a single council member would excuse himself for five minutes or so and then return quietly.  Each and every one had been not so discreetly cleaning their mouth with a tongue, clearly having eaten something.   It became glaringly apparent to Ignis that they were trying to break him.  He couldn’t excuse himself to eat; they would cry foul and stop the meeting demanding some form of retribution.      

Hoping he didn’t pass out right there at the table he forged on. His voice had become hoarse at this point and suspiciously there wasn’t a single water pitcher in sight.   Their selfish actions only made him fight harder and finally around 7:45pm a senior council member raised his hand and stopped the session.  He sighed heavily and simply stood announcing he would see everyone next week and left the room.   Everyone else at the table followed suit and within a few minutes the room was clear save Ignis who was slumped in his chair. 

He gathered his papers slowly and shoved them in his briefcase clicking it shut.  Taking a deep breath he carefully stood up, the room only spun marginally.  Making his way around the large table using the skewed chairs to lean on he walked around towards the service door.  This lesser used entrance would allow him to bypass the main hallways and return to the suite faster.  The minute he opened the door a rush of fresh non alpha tainted air struck his lungs.  Sighing with relief he promptly collapsed on the floor in a heap.   

 

* * *

 

 

“Are you sure the session ended?” Noct asked for a third time.

“Yeah positive, this window gives me a view of the street where the parking garage exits and I have seen at least 10 cars leave.  All of them crown issue and fancy like the council drive.   He must be done with his meeting.” Prompto replied looking concerned. 

“How long does it take to walk from the meeting hall to this part of the citadel?” The prince asked as he paced around their shared royal suite.

“Shouldn’t be more than 10 minutes.” Gladio piped up.

“Those cars left like 20 minutes ago, so where is he?”

“Could he have made some other plans for the evening? We didn’t tell him we were coming home a day early.”  Prompto offered.

Gladio had a bad feeling in his gut.  He couldn’t quite place it but he knew something wasn’t right.  “I’m gonna go check for him at the meeting hall just in case he got held up by something.” 

“Wha… but we wanted to surprise him; if you find him first it won’t be as much fun.” Prompto pouted.  He had missed the advisor terribly during the trip and he wanted to see his happy face when they surprised him. 

“Sorry Prompto, I gotta follow my intuition.  Call me if he shows up.” Gladio got up from his seat on the couch and left the suite without another word. 

Noct was still pacing and wringing his hands.  “Do you think the council did something to him? We spoke to him Wednesday night and he seemed fine.”

“He texted me yesterday and all was well.”  Prompto added with a frown.  “I know I wanted a surprise but I hope Gladio finds him.”

 

* * *

 

 

Gladio stepped onto the elevator and smashed the button in frustration waiting for the doors to swish close.  He dug his phone out and called Ignis hoping he might answer his phone.  He knew it was a long shot since he silenced the device during most meetings.  Sure enough it rang for a while but eventually went to voice mail.  He pocketed the phone when he finally reached the ground floor and he began running again towards the meeting hall.

The citadel was eerily quiet as he neared his destination, the only noise coming from his boots pounding on the smooth polished floor.   He stopped at the immaculate double doors to the room and pushed them open. 

The smell was overpowering.  He put a hand up to his face to try and block the lingering pheromones from the council members.  Even being an alpha himself this level of scent was sickening. His heart hurt thinking of Ignis having to sit in this room with them and suffer like that.  A quick scan confirmed it was totally empty.   He then noticed a door ajar in the corner, the light streaming through painting a small stake of yellow on the dark floor.  He rushed over, remembering that Ignis sometimes used that exit instead of the main one. 

He pushed open the smaller service door and was greeting with Ignis lying in an undignified pile on the floor.  Rushing to his side he called Ignis’ name but his omega was passed out cold.  His clothes reeked of the council members scent and he desperately wished he could remove them but that would have to wait until they were back at the suite.

Carefully he lifted the advisor up into a sitting position and cradled him with one arm; he would have to carry him back.  Before he lifted him up off the floor he retrieved his phone.  Debating about who to call, Noct or Prompto, he ultimately decided on the other alpha of the pack to break the news to.  As he waited for Noct to pick up the phone he hugged Ignis closer. 

“Did you find him?!” Noct asked answering after the first ring.

“Yeah, we are on our way back now.” Gladio responded.  He was sure he sounded somewhat strained. 

“Something’s wrong though isn’t it?”

Not wanting to waste any more time he just described what he had seen. “I found him passed out just outside the meeting hall.  I will need to carry him back so give me a little extra time I may need to take a breather once or twice.”

The other end of the line was silent; Gladio suddenly thought it had gone dead until he heard Prompto’s voice in the background.  “Noct!  Did you hear me?  I need you to get things setup for when we get there.” 

“Do you think they did something to him?” Noct finally asked with a deadly tone Gladio rarely heard from him.

“Can’t tell, but I need you and Prompto to get a bath ready and make sure there is some food... Noct?”

“I’m here.  I’ll make sure it gets done.  Do you need me to send Prompto to help?”

“No.  If that changes I’ll call back. I should be there in about 12 minutes.” He said a curt goodbye and hung up the phone.  He knew that Noct would break the news to Prompto while he was enroute.  The blonde would hopefully be a little calmer by the time they arrived.  Even though he was a beta he still got emotional sometimes, especially when anything happened to his pack.  

Looking down at Ignis’ head as it rested against his shoulder he gingerly slid his arm under the advisors knees and lifted him up off the floor.   He was able to manage a minor acrobatic feat and gently slung the briefcase onto Ignis’ lap and started on his journey back to the others.

 

* * *

 

 

Ignis became aware of fresh air passing by his face in small whiffs.  His body had the sensation of almost floating but with a certain unexplainable weight attached.  He slowly took a deep breath and noted the familiar scent that passed.

Gladio.

He must be dreaming though, his mate wasn’t here.  They were all hundreds of miles away and he was lying on a cold marble floor in a back hallway. 

The tactician in him tried to come to terms with this and tried in vain to analyze the situation.  Failing entirely he decided to just pry his eyes open and see if Gladio was really there or not.  Ignis didn’t cry, not really.  His inner omega wanted to all the damn time but he tramped it down on most occasions.  However, when he finally did open his eyes and could see outlines of a tattoo peeking through a shirt collar he knew he wasn’t dreaming.  He sucked back a pitiful sob and closed his eyes again, thanking the astrals that he wasn’t alone anymore.   

“Iggy!  Hun… hey it’s okay… don’t cry.  I’ve got you.  You’re safe now.  Just relax.”  Gladio crooned into his omega’s ear as his head lolled against the shields chest.  He pushed out a calming scent to help soothe the advisor.

“I thought… I… was dreaming.”  Iggy choked out weakly in a hoarse voice. 

“Fuck your voice is gone!  Those bastards...” Gladio was growling now.  He suddenly became afraid they had physically abused Ignis in some way.  “They didn’t touch you did they?” He asked concerned.

“No.  They are just… vindictive assholes.” Ignis managed to get out in a whisper.  

Gladio couldn’t help but smirk at Ignis’ comment.  He hardly ever swore.  “Save your voice, we are almost at the suite, Noct and Prompto will be excited to see you.”

“You all came?”  The advisor asked shocked as he tilted his head up to look at Gladio better. 

“Yeah, but just take it easy.  We will take care of you.” 

Ignis went to say something more but Gladio shushed him. Thankfully they were in the final leg of the journey and the door to the suite appeared.  Gladio kicked the bottom of the door with his foot and waited.  Almost immediately it whooshed open and a worried looking teary eyed beta was standing on the other side. 

“Prompto, can you take his briefcase for me?” The shield asked in hopes of distracting the blonde. 

He simply nodded and took the case as Gladio walked past him and towards the master bathroom. Noct and Prompto trailed behind him silently.  The bath had been filled with inviting hot steaming water and bubble bath.  Gently sitting Ignis down on the plush rug in the space he kissed him once on the forehead before he got up.  “Noct, I need your help with something.  Prompto you stay with Iggy okay?”

The larger alpha had to practically drag Noct out of the immaculate bathroom.  Once they were back in the living room he sighed heavily rubbed his hands over his face.

The prince stared at him for a moment. “You don’t need help with shit, so why did you just drag me out of there?”

“Honestly… Blondie just needs to be alone with him for a minute. You know how Prompto gets when he’s upset.  Iggy always knows how to make him feel better.”

Noct sighed but nodded in agreeance. “So how long do we wait?” 

 

* * *

 

 

Ignis was leaning back on his arms and had managed to stay sitting upright after Gladio had deposited him on the floor.  However, his arms were shaking and he was starting to worry they might buckle.  He was about to say something when both alphas suddenly left the room. 

Prompto inadvertently solved the issue a second later by rushing forward on his knees and hugging the advisor tightly.  “I missed you so much!”  The rest of his statement was cut off by quiet sobs. 

Ignis, relieved that he didn’t have to hold his weight anymore, gently wrapped his arms around the blondes shaking shoulders and held him for a minute.   “I missed you too.”  He finally responded in a gravely tone.

Upon hearing how hoarse Ignis’ voice was Prompto flinched.  Leaning back he looked into the advisors green eyes. “I can make you tea with honey to help your voice.” He sniffled.

Prompto started to let go and the advisor could feel his balance becoming questionable.   He tightly gripped the blondes’ shirt hoping it would be enough to keep him from falling backwards. 

“Ignis!?  What’s wrong?”  Prompto asked with a worried look. 

“It’s hard to sit up.” He whispered not wanting to strain his already broken voice.

Prompto grabbed hold of Ignis again.  “I gotcha… don’t worry.”  He continued to hug him and turned his head to holler for his alphas.

 

* * *

 

 

“Well there is your answer Noct.” Gladio mused after a few minutes. “Guess we don’t have to wait very long at all.  Go see what Prompto needs and I’ll see what you all started for food.”

Noct made to walk away but stopped suddenly and turned towards Gladio with a shy grin.  “Uh… well about that… I don’t cook and Prompto was freaking out so we really only managed to get the bath started.” 

The shield sighed but gently shoved the prince in the direction of the bathroom.  “Well make sure his bath is enjoyable at least.” 

Noct walked into the bathroom and Prompto and Ignis were hugging each other.  “What’s up?”

“Ignis is too tired to like exist right now so I need help to get him into the bath.” Prompto blurted.

“You okay with us helping Specs?” The prince asked softly.

Ignis nodded his head and smiled grateful he didn’t have to deal with this by himself.  Noct instructed Prompto to sit behind Ignis and prop him up.  This way the advisor and Prompto could work on his overabundance of buttons together while Noct got the rest.

“So now the interesting part, how do we get you in the bath.” Noct finally announced after Ignis was free of his clothing.  “You can’t stand by yourself can you?” He asked already knowing the answer.

Ignis shook his head but still tried to lean forward to get to his feet anyway.  Old habits die hard and he was never comfortable with feeling powerless.   This movement spurred Noct to hurriedly reach out and loop an arm around the advisors back, pulling him upright.  Sure enough, once on his feet, Ignis started to tumble sideways but Prompto was there in a split second helping to holding him up.

The three of them looked like a bunch of drunks swaying around uncoordinatedly.  Noct was the first to laugh out loud when he nearly fell into the bath.  Prompto laughed at him and then tripped on the rug causing the prince to snort.  Ignis couldn’t audibly laugh but he was wheezing watching the other two.   

 

* * *

 

 

Gladio pulled his head out of the refrigerator after he thought he heard a noise.  He waited quietly with the door ajar and was about to resume his efforts when he heard it again.   His curiosity was too great, so he abandoned his cause and wandered towards the sound.  He approached the bathroom door slowly peering around the door frame. He had to stifle a laugh; Ignis was stark naked and being haphazardly manhandled to the side of the bathtub.  It was a wonder that all three of his mates hadn’t fallen over at this point. 

He watched a little longer to make sure they could handle the advisor without causing more damage.  Once Noct had Ignis’ legs in the bath he felt satisfied that they would eventually get the task complete and he went back to the kitchen. 

Inspecting the kitchen further Gladio found all kinds of ingredients that were most definitely not there last Sunday.  He started to recognize certain things that Ignis used for making all of their favorite dishes.  Taking a deep breath he stepped back from the counter and tried to calm his nerves.  His omega had been planning to cook them all a wonderful feast when they returned but he had been worked to the bone instead.  The anger that he suddenly felt towards the council was making his blood pressure rise. 

He wished he could sit with Ignis and get every detail of his apparently hellish week but it would have to wait until tomorrow.  He wanted nothing more than to keep Ignis comfortable and pampered for the rest of the weekend.   

Resigning himself to the task at hand he started working on preparing something simple for Ignis to eat when he was done with his bath.  Soup and a small sandwich should be enough to tide the advisor over until the next day when Gladio could fix a bigger heartier meal for all of them. 

He lost track of the time but was nearly done with the meal when Prompto came quickly running into the kitchen and put a finger up to his lips to silence him.

“Shhh… you have to come hear this…” He said in a low whisper.  “Ignis is purring.” Prompto grabbed his arm and started dragging his tall frame back towards the bathroom.  

He stopped right outside the door and spoke again very quietly. “It’s really soft since his voice is gone but it’s there.”  Prompto looked up at the shield with large eyes and a small smile. 

Gladio blinked a few times and then quietly tip toed into the room and stopped just beside Noct.  The prince had clearly just finished washing Ignis’ hair and was rinsing his hands in the bathwater.   Noct looked up at Gladio with a slightly awed face and then nodded his head towards Ignis.  His eyes were shut and he had regained some of his color, thankfully. 

Most omegas purred frequently or so they had all been told by everyone else in Eos.  They all joked with Ignis that he must be defective since he never liked to purr.  Gladio could count on one hand the times he had heard the advisor purr over the past years.  Ignis was always good at schooling his emotions even though he was an omega.  Purring would be openly showing how he felt and Gladio suspected that he didn’t feel comfortable baring that side of himself.

However, he couldn’t hear anything save Ignis’ deep breathing while standing in the room.  Kneeling down next to Noct he titled his head and then he heard it, that most precious sound.  It was quiet and soft but definitely purring.  Prompto had snuck back into the room and was attempting to squeeze in between Noct and Gladio on the floor.    

The shield tugged the beta towards him with an arm around his waist and the three sat transfixed.  Ignis had no idea what his purring did to his pack.  He would never believe them anyway if they told him.  Gladio kept a hand in the bathwater to make sure it wasn’t getting cold as they all sat quietly enjoying Ignis’ relaxed state.

Once the water started to lose its warmth the older alpha decided to break the silence.  “We should drain the water and get him in bed.”

Prompto whined a bit.  “I love that sound I wish he would do it more.”

Noct was silent and just stared reverently at Ignis.  He broke his gaze finally and looked to Gladio.  “Did you figure out some food?”

“Yeah, I’ll get it reheated once we get him dry and in bed.” He responded pulling the plug in the drain to let the water out.  The second Gladio touched Ignis with a towel, once the water was fully drained, he stopped purring. 

Since the shield was helping this time, getting Ignis dried off and out of the tub was a lot easier than getting him in the tub.  Prompto ran out of the bathroom for a moment and returned with a pair of pajamas. 

Ignis finally stirred when they were buttoning his shirt up.  “Do I have any more meetings today?” He mumbled hoarsely as he rested limply in Gladio’s arms.

“No hun… you’re done for the day.  It’s the weekend and we are going to take care of you okay.” Gladio spoke gently.

Ignis merely smiled and leaned in closer to the older alpha. 

Gladio didn’t want to let go.  Ignis looked like he was finally starting to relax.   “Hey Prompto, can you nuke the soup in the microwave for a minute to get it warm again and then bring in the tray?” 

“Yeah… of course!” The blonde responded excitedly as he bolted out of the room again.  

Turning his attentions back to Ignis the shield carefully lifted him off the bathroom floor.  Ignis was blinking heavily and looked like sleep might claim him once more. “Hey Iggy… I need you stay awake for a little bit longer.  You need to eat something.” Ignis nodded and worked on keeping his eyelids open. 

Noct had gone into the bedroom ahead of Gladio and made sure there was a nice pile of pillows awaiting their omega on the bed.  The shield placed his love in the middle and propped him up against the pillows.  Prompto entered with a tray of food shortly afterwards. 

Gladio realized how hungry Ignis must have been once he started eating.  He wasn’t inhaling the food per say but he wasn’t leaving any crumbs either.  Despite how exhausted he was his mission clearly was to eat everything on the tray.

When he was truly done a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of the advisor.  “I made it with lots of honey to help your sore throat.” Prompto announced from the side of the bed.  “I wanna be able to hear you talk again without it hurting you.”  He added with a pout. 

Ignis looked at the blonde with tenderness as he sank further into his nest of pillows.  Cupping both hands around the mug and taking long sips he sat contentedly. 

“Why don’t you and Prompto go get ready for bed.” Gladio offered looking at Noct. “I’m sure our omega would really benefit from a nice cuddle.”

Prompto didn’t need to be told twice, he shot up off the bed and ran into the bathroom grinning.  Gladio looked to Noct and smiled.  The prince glanced at Ignis, he was almost done with his tea and steadily beginning to nod off.  Taking a deep breath Noct slid off the bed and followed Prompto into the bathroom. 

“Let me take that for you.” Gladio offered holding his hands out for the mug. Ignis relinquished the item and held the shields gaze while tilting his head and baring his neck slightly. Gladio knew what he wanted but he always asked before acting.  “Do you want me to mark you?”

Ignis simply nodded and turned farther to the side to expose more of his neck.  The alpha didn’t need a second invite.  He pushed the tray aside and crawled towards Ignis.  Leaning forward Gladio carefully placed his neck against the advisors exposed gland below his ear, and started to rub slowly.  Ignis made the most pleasant sound as he continued pushing out his scent.  After a minute he pulled back and looked into his mates eyes. 

Ignis looked exhausted but he finally seemed truly content.  Gladio leaned in a second time and kissed Ignis.  It was slow and languid.  Surprisingly the advisor was able to return the kiss but only for a moment.  He sighed and rested his head on the pillows.  The shield lifted Ignis up and situated him further down in the bed so he could sleep.  “Rest for me… relax and don’t worry about anything ok.”

Ignis’ eyes had slipped closed but he still murmured an affirmative response.  Noct and Prompto came back into the room and quickly sandwiched the advisor in between them.  Gladio tucked them all in and took the tray to go back to the kitchen.

“Gladio are you coming to bed?” Noct asked when he stood up with the tray. 

“I need to take care of some items first. I should be able to join you in about an hour.” 

Noct looked concerned.  “I know you are up to something… but be careful ok.”  He snuggled back down in the blankets and tugged Ignis closer to him.  Then suddenly he perked his head up again. “Make sure our phones are on the night stand. I want to be able to hear mine in case you need us.”

Gladio’s heart warmed as he looked at Noct.  “I’ll do that.  Try not to worry I’m not doing anything crazy tonight.” The shield looked at Prompto wondering if he had any issues as well but discovered he had fallen asleep with his head on Ignis’ chest.

“Just rest… I’ll be back soon.”                   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah my brain decided to get eschew askew and skewed all messed up. Its been fixed. BUT you totally need to google askew.... just type the word 'askew'. Google cracks me up sometimes.


	2. Reconnaissance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio realizes he needs to gather evidence to prove the council acted maliciously all while trying to keep his pack rested and happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look more fluff. Cuddly delightfully fluffy fluff. With a dash of scheming Noct and Gladio. Sorry I'm tired and being a dork. Hope you enjoy!

Gladio was running out of time.  It was almost 10:00pm and he would need to hurry if he wanted to complete his task.  Thankfully his pack was safely tucked in bed, although be it a tad early. They were all exhausted, especially Ignis.  Finding his omega passed out in a back hallway earlier had rattled the shield.  He knew that Ignis would over work himself constantly but he would never push his body to that extreme.   Something wasn’t right and Gladio was bound and determined to get answers.

He double checked his sleeping mates one last time before he donned his boots and left the royal suite. Heading straight for the meeting hall he hoped he would beat the late night cleaning crew.  Pushing the service door open to the space he silently thanked the astrals.  It was still just as stuffy and nothing had been touched.  

Turning on all the lights he took pictures with his cell phone of the room.  The table was completely clean aside from an errant pen or scrap of paper.  At first this didn’t seem odd but Gladio realized that there should be more stuff left over.   He stole a glance in the lone trash bin in the space, it was empty, not even a single water bottle.  Finally it hit him no used drinking glasses on the table and no water bottles in sight, no wonder Ignis had lost his voice. 

Satisfied that he had documented the meeting hall he shut the lights off and went out the back door again.  He walked by a deserted rolling cart and nearly ignored it but something seemed off about its presence in the hallway.  Upon closer inspection he found 12 mostly empty food trays stashed on the shelves under a black table cloth.  This explained why Ignis had been so hungry earlier; those fucking asshats had ordered food for only themselves.  The total count of men in attendance was thirteen including Ingis.

Judging by the crumbs on the floor they most likely snuck out during the meeting to eat.  Gladio’s psyche was steadily morphing from uncontrollable rage to calculated killer.  He was not going to let these men get away with abusing his mate.   

It was now 10:40pm and he had about fifteen minutes to get to the security office and commandeer the tape from the meeting.  Security cameras had been installed in the meeting hall last year after one of the council members had started a fist fight.  None of his pack had witnessed the act but the ensuing verbal battle of who hit first prompted the council to install the cameras. There was no audio feed, the council had been adamant about that to preserve some of their privacy.   

However, he wasn’t sure if their motivation was to prevent further acts of violence or to process the paperwork faster once they had occurred.   Either way he hoped it hadn’t been erased yet, that was the one stipulation.  The tape was to be deleted at the end of the last shift each night unless otherwise ordered.   The shift ended at 11:00pm.

Gladio must have looked a little more upset than he realized as he approached the security office.  The crownsguard on duty sat up straight when they locked eyes with him and started to sweat, visibly.

“Lord Amicitia. How can I assist you?” He asked through the little window in the wall.

“There was a medical emergency this evening after the council meeting was terminated.  I need the footage.”  He glared at the solider and hoped he wouldn’t question him further. Technically the request for the security footage should come from the king, Noct, or any of the council members.  

Squirming in his seat for a moment the crownsguard eventually leaned over and buzzed Gladio through the door. “Do you want me to pull it up or can you figure it out?”

“I can find the footage on my own.  Go back to your desk.  I believe you have 5 more minutes left in your shift.”  The shield said sternly.  He felt bad acting so high and mighty but he needed to hurry before the second shift showed up and started asking questions.

He pocketed the thumb drive with the footage right as the door was opened by the next crownsguard on duty.  He nodded to the man and left without saying a word.  Clearly not wanting to anger the prince’s shield further no questions were asked.   

Gladio decided he would make one more stop before heading home.  Stopping in front of Ignis’ office door he punched in his key code.  However, when he went to enter the space the door only opened half way before slamming into something on the floor.  He had enough space to squeeze in but his mouth fell open when he flicked the light on.  Large document boxes were strewn all over the floor in various states of disorganization.  He could tell from the labels that they were several years old. 

Ignis’ desk was no better it was piled high with document folders.  Picking his way over to the desk he nearly fell when his boot caught one of the boxes on the floor.  The advisors office had most definitely not been like this last week.  Reviewing some of the files on the desk he could see sticky notes with Ignis’ writing poking out. 

He grabbed one file, a proposal for updating security cameras, and read through the notes.  The advisor had figured out that each seemingly benign request from the council hid a dark secret.  Some stipulation or other was buried in the mass of papers that would give the council more power.  Thankfully it looked like Ignis had gone the extra mile and researched to find out the truth before he signed any of them. 

 

* * *

 

 

It was 12:15am when he finally walked back into the foyer of the suite.  He debated about going to bed but he wanted to watch the footage first.  He quietly shuffled down the hall to their library.  They had all decided not to have an actual dedicated office in the suite since the likelihood of them working away all night was too great.   A library had been the next best choice and was acceptable for short spats of work.

Two and half hours later he sat staring stone faced at his laptop screen.  He had sifted through over seven hours of footage and was in shock at what he had seen.  Even without sound he was able to piece together the many reasons why Ignis had passed out. 

Ignis had remained standing for most of the meeting.  Gladio noted that his mouth was moving during that time so one of the senior council members must have requested the speaker stand.  He added foot massage to his growing list of things to do for Ignis. 

There was still one video clip he hadn’t watched.  He wasn’t sure he could bring himself to open the file.  It was the footage from the back hallway where Ignis had lost consciousness.  

He felt sick to his stomach.   Their omega had to go through this torturous meeting alone.  He couldn’t help feeling guilty that he didn’t try harder to get him to come along to the summit with them.   His thoughts were disrupted when he heard a soft knock.  When he looked up Prompto was slowly edging the door open. 

“Gladdy… How long have you been in here?” He asked sleepily.

The shield normally only allowed his sister to call him by that nickname but Prompto seemed to only use it when they were alone so he never corrected him.

“Sorry sunshine, did I wake you?”

“Not really.  I woke up naturally and you weren’t in bed so I got worried.  Are you done yet? Noct isn’t sharing and I want someone to cuddle with.”

Gladio snickered.  “He isn’t sharing what exactly?”

“Our omega.”  Prompto pouted.  “I love Ignis too, but Noct has a death grip on him right now like he’s the only human in existence.”  

The shield had to admit he was tired.  He hoped he would be able to sleep given all the thoughts swirling around in his head.  Sighing heavily he stood up from the chair and walked over to Prompto, ruffling his hair with a kind smile.  “I’ll cuddle with you blondie.  Let’s go to bed.”    

 

* * *

 

 

Ignis couldn’t move.  He had awoken and was struggling to crack his eyes open to figure out why.  When he managed to open them it was to a dim room, and he could hear slow breathing and snoring.  Lifting his head up for a better look it became obvious why he was unable to move, all three of his mates were hugging him. 

Noct was on his left holding onto his waist tightly.  Prompto was on his right resting his head on his chest.  Gladio was spooning Prompto, and had a heavy muscled arm slung over the blond with his hand resting casually on Ignis’ stomach.   

The advisor was beyond comfortable lying with his pack but he needed to stretch.  Attempting this simple move was not easy, he soon realized that both his arms where pinned to his sides by Noct and Prompto.   He went to shift his legs but he encountered the same issue.  Prompto had literally encapsulated the advisors right leg with both of his.  His left leg was in no better shape.  Ignis was trapped.  Happily trapped but still he needed to shift his weight. 

He lay still for the next few minutes pondering how to make his mates move without waking them up.  His brain was still a muddled mess from the week’s activities and he couldn’t figure out what to do.  Unbeknownst to Ignis he had started to emit a slightly distressed scent.  No one could smell their own scent which could make life difficult when you were literally airing out your feelings. 

“Iggy… what’s wrong hun?” Gladio asked suddenly with a groggy voice. 

Ignis turned his head towards his alpha and made to speak but all that came out was a crackly sound.  He swallowed and tried again.  “I’m stuck.” He finally managed hoarsely.   He could hear Gladio laugh as he slowly removed his arm from around Prompto. 

“Relax, I got this.”  The shield responded as he started carefully maneuvering the blonds limp form on the bed. 

Ignis couldn’t help but smile when Gladio had to work harder than expected to get Prompto to release his right leg.  Once his right side was free he tried to scoot over and away from Noct into the space that Gladio had cleared.  Prompto was out like a light and seemed fine with his new position.

Exhaustion still clung heavily to his body even after hours of sleep.  He couldn’t seem to get his limbs to behave in a coordinated fashion.  Suddenly he felt Gladio’s arms being shoved under his body and lifting him up off the bed.

Normally Ignis would protest at being carried around but he already knew he had been scooped up in the shields arms more than a few times in the past 12 hours. 

“Do you need a bathroom break?” Gladio asked as he stood next to the bed holding Ignis.

The omega shook his head and rested it on Gladio’s shoulder.

“We can watch some TV in the other room if you want or just go back to cuddling.” 

Smiling Ignis pointed to the bed. 

“You’re a man of few desires tonight.”  He chuckled under his breath as he lay Ignis down on the edge of the bed. 

Ignis watched as Gladio leaned over him and gently lifted Prompto up and placed him closer to Noct.  Even in sleep they managed to reach out to cling to each other. 

“I’m gonna go get you some water, try not to fall asleep.” 

Ignis gratefully accepted the cool glass of water Gladio handed him, when he came back into the bedroom a moment later.   Then the advisor watched as the larger alpha crawled over him and stretched out next to Prompto. 

“Wanna lie on top of me?” Gladio asked in a low voice.     

Ignis nodded and he rolled over to situate his body.  Gladio helped hoist him up until they were aligned perfectly.  Sometimes when one of them couldn’t sleep well they would lie directly on the other, chest to chest.  Feeling the warmth and steady heartbeat helped to lull the other into sleep.  He was quickly fading but made a mental note to ask what was bothering Gladio so much that he needed to have Ignis lay on him like this.

Gladio wrapped his arms around Ignis’ waist.  Sneaking his hands up underneath his night shirt, he started to rub his back. “I love you so much Iggy.” He whispered. 

Ignis practically melted right there.  “I love you more.” He murmured fondly. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Are you sure it’s okay that we aren’t in there with him.” Prompto asked while biting his bottom lip. 

“Trust me he will be fine.  I had to rescue him last night when you and prince charmless smothered him. A little time to stretch out will do him good.” 

“I don’t remember that.” The blond pouted.

Gladio rolled his eyes and continued making brunch.  Prompto had been the first to rise that Saturday morning apparently too excited to go back to sleep.  The advisor was normally up before all of them but his body’s natural alarm clock was understandably broken.  On his way crawling out of bed Prompto accidentally landed a knee in Gladio’s stomach.  The shield was awake after that and decided to just get up and keep the blonde company.

Not surprisingly Noct stayed in bed for at least another hour, eventually stumbling out to join the living in the other room.  “I’ve never seen him sleep so late in the morning.  He is okay, right?” he asked rubbing at his stubble.

“He had the week from hell Noctis, I don’t know what else to tell you.  His body just needs to recuperate.”  The shield responded glumly. 

The three remained silent until the bedroom door creaked open at around 10:45am.  Ignis exited slowly taking careful steps toward the living room.  He was still wearing his pajamas but looked a little less haggard then the night before. 

“Perfect timing Iggy, foods almost ready, go ahead and have a seat at the table.” Gladio announced from the kitchen.  Ignis nodded and made his way over to the dining table.  Prompto quickly got up from the sofa and ran over to the advisor to take the seat next to him.  “Hey chocobobutt did you just steal my seat!” 

“I didn’t see your name on it Gladiolus.” He piped back in a tone that sounded suspiciously like Ignis.

Gladio looked up and saw the faintest of smiles on Ignis’ face.  “Are you trying to fill in the dialogue for Iggy until his voice is better?” 

Prompto shook his head.  “Nah, I just want to have some time with Ignis.”

Brunch was a quiet affair, again Gladio noticed how the advisor ate everything that was given to him and even took seconds.  He hoped it would be easy to convince him to take it slow for today and simply relax.  Gladio wanted to talk to Noct in private and show him what he had found out last night.  

“Prompto made you a nest on the couch.” Noct announced when they were all done eating.  “In case you want to rest somewhere other than the bed today.”

“I would like that.” He rasped quietly as he stood from the table and shuffled over to the couch. 

Gladio laughed out loud when Ignis stopped short, turned and fell backwards into the ridiculous pile of pillows that Prompto had set up. “Seems like Iggy likes your nest.” 

“Ignis!  Do you want to see all the photos I took? I downloaded them this morning.” The blonde was excitedly looking over waiting for an answer.   Ignis nodded and Prompto leapt off his seat grabbing his laptop off the coffee table. 

The shield watched as his omega and beta rearranged themselves into a little unit on the couch.  Ignis was supported by a mountain of pillows and had Prompto’s back leaning against his chest.  The advisor snaked his arms around the blonde’s waist and propped his chin up on his shoulder so he could see the computer screen.  His long legs were strewn to either side of the photographer.       

Noct helped with the dishes and soon all that could be heard was Prompto’s bubbly voice describing his photos.  Gladio whispered to the prince under his breath that they needed to talk. 

 

* * *

 

 

Ignis was enjoying sitting with Prompto, breathing in his excessively sweet smelling shampoo as they flipped through photos of the trip.  He could tell when Prompto started to get homesick as he watched the images.  Photos of Noct started to take over his reel and then Gladio.  His well-crafted landscapes and portraits were switched out for more ‘off the cuff’ shots of mundane tasks and the people he cared for.

“Did our alphas try and get frisky with you?” He asked, grateful that his voice seemed to be recovering, when a provocative shot of Noct sleeping popped up. 

Prompto giggled.  “Well… um… so like it’s totally Noct’s fault. You know how we normally get a little clingy, especially if Noct is stressed.  So I think on Thursday we had a really boring meeting and he wanted to you know… unwind.”

“But I take it that didn’t quite go as planned?”

“Ehhh… no. Noct and I were making out on the couch in the hotel suite and then Gladio got all super alpha and was growling.”

“You were kissing in front of him?”

“No, he was in the bedroom taking a nap.  I guess my scent woke him up.  I didn’t even realize he had come in until he was growling right next to my head.”

“He didn’t hurt you did he?”

“Huh uh, the total opposite.” Prompto exclaimed shaking his head with a dazed expression as he was clearly reliving the incident in his mind.  “He pulled me off of Noct’s lap and hugged me.”

“What happened next?” 

“Noct went to grab me to like continue with our… um… unwinding.”

“Annnddd…” Ignis drawled.

“He bit him.”

“Noct bit Gladio?”

“No.  Gladio moved me out of the way and then he shoved Noct on his back and bit him on the shoulder. Hard.  I saw actual tears in the corner of his eyes.”

Ignis looked at Prompto’s face, he seemed awestruck. Since he was a beta he rarely had alphas fighting over him.  Being the sole omega of the group Ignis was used to this type of behavior and though it vexed him to see it a part of him secretly liked being cherished like that.  He could understand why Prompto felt special.  “Did that kill the mood?”

“Well... not for me.” The blonde was blushing and smiling.  “Nothing else really happened Gladio wouldn’t leave us alone.” 

“Let me guess, you had two alphas vying for your attention for the rest of the night.”

Prompto nodded. “I’m not complaining, I got a back rub and control of the TV remote.” 

Ignis laughed he was happy that his beta had been taken care of.  “Did the boys kiss and make up?”

“Yeah, almost immediately, I think Noct didn’t want to get bitten again.”

The advisor hugged Prompto closer and buried his nose in the crook of his neck.  “Shall we continue with the photos?”  The blonde turned his attention back to the computer and continued.  

One shot in particular caught the omega’s attention; it was the three of his mates huddled together looking at something off camera.  Whoever snapped the photo had captured them all unawares.  “Who took that shot?” He asked suddenly.

“Huh… oh that one… the king took it.”  The blonde sighed loudly and paused his scrolling.  “I wish you had been able to come.  It would have made that photo a thousand times better to have you in it.”

“I like it perfectly fine the way it is.  I think I might want to have a print in my office.”  At the mention of his office Ignis’ muscles tensed.  He thought of the complete chaos it had been reduced to with all the council’s meddling.  He would have to clean it up before Monday and that made his body ache thinking about it.

“Ignis… what’s wrong? Why are you getting stressed?  Did I do something?” Prompto asked worriedly.

 

* * *

 

 

“What is this file?” Noct asked as he sat in front of Gladio’s laptop.

“The one I can’t bring myself to click on.  It’s the footage from the back hallway where Iggy collapsed.”

Noct had just spent the last 20 minutes reviewing the meeting hall camera footage.  Gladio had explained that most of it consisted of Ignis standing too much, being denied water, and a break.

Noct looked livid. “What are we going to do?   The council shouldn’t be allowed to abuse someone like that.”

“I have a few ideas; I’ll probably need your help.  You are our future king after all.” 

“Of course.” He nodded and focused his attention back at the screen hovering the mouse over the unviewed footage.

Before Gladio could say anything he had clicked on it and the player was loading.  “I found him at around 8:30pm.  If you find that time stamp you could work backwards from there.”

Noct followed his instructions and they were both suddenly greeting with a crumpled form of a human being on the screen.  The prince paused the footage and stared at Ignis’ body lying on the floor.  “None of us will ever sit in council meeting or chambers alone ever again.  I swear it.”  He said shaking with anger.  “I’ll draft the proposal myself.” 

“Noct…” His shield paused unsure of how to proceed.  “I need to show you his office… It’s a fucking mess.”

“When did you go to Spec’s office?”

“Last night. I had this funny feeling to go check in there.  I have never seen it like that.  I think the council just inundated him with proposals to overwhelm him.  You can’t even open the door all the way.”

The prince sat silent with a neutral expression.  The air in the room was starting to feel chilly.  Gladio could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.  Noct was clearly very angry.  A few small sparks of blue light sizzled a few feet away but then the chill subsided. 

“Sorry, I want to beat the council up so bad right now.”

“I know you do.  Let’s make sure we have everything lined up before we attack.  I don’t want them to have any excuses available.”     

Noct scrolled through the video footage to see when the meeting had ended.  It appeared that their omega had been lying vulnerable on the floor for at least 40 minutes.  Thankfully nothing more had happened until Gladio had shown up. 

“Noct, check around 5:30pm I want to see something.” 

The prince obliged and skipped back in the footage.  “What are we…” He trailed off when he saw a council member hovering over a cart.  “Is he eating something?”

“That cart had 12 plates of food on it.”

“Wait, but they didn’t break for dinner and there are 13 people including Ignis.  What the fuck!”  Noct’s face had contorted into a scowl.  “They should be forced to eat moldy cheese and stale bread for a week.  When does dad get back we need to talk to him.”

“I think sometime this afternoon.  We might have to wait until tomorrow so he can rest.  You know how traveling takes it out him.”

Noct sighed and nodded solemnly.  “Can you text your dad to find out when a good time would be?” 

“Sure.” Gladio leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes.  “How’s your shoulder?”

Noct smirked.  “Healing, you freaking behemoth, I forget that you can smell scents way better than all of us.  I should have known.  Guess I was playing with fire since Specs wasn’t there to satiate you.”

“Blondie smelled so good; before I realized it I was out there harassing you guys.   Sorry.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” 

Gladio went to say something more but stopped and scrunched up his nose and sniffed. 

“Oh astrals now what?!”

“It’s Iggy, but I don’t think it’s serious.  Let’s go check.”   The shield said as he stood up and made for the door.

Gladio and Noct walked into the living room and could see Prompto turned sideways attempting to hug Ignis.  He sounded distressed and was trying to figure out why the advisor was upset.  Ignis wouldn’t tell the blonde and keep assuring him everything was fine.   Gladio could tell from Ignis’ scent that he was worrying about something. 

“Iggy, I can tell you are stressing.  Spit it out.  We want to help.” Gladio warmly urged.

Their omega sighed and lowered his face to hide in Prompto’s back.  “My office is a mess.” He mumbled. 

Smiling the large alpha sat down next to Ignis on the sectional sofa and gently put a hand on his back.  “I know. We will all help to organize your office, but only when you are fully recovered meaning not tomorrow.”

Ignis whined and raised his head again.  “It’s foul. You won’t want to help me once you’ve seen it.”

Gladio laughed and rolled his eyes.  “Iggy, I visited your office last night, it’s not foul.  I promise you we will all help.” 

The advisor pursed his lips together and gripped his beta tighter dragging him back into his nest of pillows.  Smiling the shield reached out to take Prompto’s hand in hopes of moving him.  The growl that escaped Ignis’ lips caught him off guard.

“Huh uh… watch it or I’ll bite you.”  He quipped. 

Had it not been for the mischievous glint in those perfect green eyes Gladio would have thought the omega was being serious.  “Prompto!  You told him!”  He groaned.  Realizing that Ignis wasn’t going to move or let go of Prompto he opted to sit at the end of the sofa and give Ignis a much needed foot massage. 

After a few minutes of jostling Prompto turned sideways and was leaning against Ignis’ chest with his feet comfortably resting on Noct’s thighs.  The large sectional sofa allowed the four of them to fit comfortably with Ignis safely tucked in the corner. 

Noct found a movie to watch and Gladio began rubbing his omegas feet.  Ignis would ooohh and ahhh every few minutes clearly enjoying his foot rub.  Prompto tried his luck by wiggling his toes in the prince’s lap but Noct wasn’t really that into feet. 

Gladio finished up the massage but kept a hold of Ignis’ feet.  It felt good just to be connected no matter how small the touch was.

Near the end of the movie Prompto made a small squeak.  Both alpha’s looked at him and he put his finger up to his lips.  Moving his eyes up to where Ignis was behind him he kept doing that until Noct paused the movie. 

Ignis had fallen asleep but had become relaxed enough to start purring.  This time it was loud.  Prompto had the biggest grin on his face and Noct and Gladio looked stunned.   None of them moved a single muscle scared it would stop. 

Gladio was relieved; his omega was resting and starting to feel better.  The day was only half over and once Ignis was awake again they would continue to shower him with affection.   

They stayed like that for at least 10 minutes listening to Ignis purr.  He finally moved in his sleep and the wondrous melody stopped.  Noct waited a few minutes to see if he would start again, when nothing happened he restarted the movie. 

Gladio’s phone pinged a moment later and he reached out to grab it.  It was a message from his dad.  ‘ _We need to talk, I got a message from the security office about unauthorized access to footage from a council meeting_ ’.  Before he could respond another message came through.  ‘ _This isn’t good, someone has footage and we need to nip this in the bud before people find out_ ’. 

Gladio stared at his phone.  Now he wasn’t sure at all how to respond.  “Noct, I think I need some help.” He tossed his phone over to him.  “Can you send my dad a message on your phone and tell him you authorized it but couldn’t sign anything since you were sleeping.”

The prince raised an eyebrow at Gladio and snickered. “Let the shit storm begin.  The council is going down.”


	3. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis has to deal with some unexpected side effects of the council's meddling, while his pack searches for a way to hold them accountable for their appalling behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sneaks in one more chapter* I needed one more! lol So have some Ignis whump and fluffy stuff with some talk of council bashing. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this little story. Its almost done promise. Enjoy! :)

Noct sat on the sofa deftly moving his fingers across the screen of his phone.  Gladio had shown him a message from Clarus about the footage that his shield had procured the previous night.  He didn’t want his mate to get in trouble so he was trying to carefully craft the perfect message to Clarus that would explain what happened. 

After the third attempt he gave up and sent a rather blunt statement.  Satisfied that it would convey the needed message he put his phone down and went back to finishing the movie they had all started.  His omega was asleep on the couch with his feet resting in Gladio’s lap.  Prompto had moved and was sitting up in between Ignis and himself.

He hoped Clarus would relay the message to his dad.  He didn’t want to bother him since he would be very worn out from a week of traveling.  The credits finally started rolling a few minutes later and he sat wondering what to do next.  He and Gladio had work to do regarding the council douchebags but before he could bring the topic up Gladio’s phone pinged again.  Looking over at his shield he waited to see what the message was about.

“Shit!  My dad is coming over right now.  What did you say to him Noct?” Gladio exclaimed.

“I told him the council tried to hurt Specs and you got the footage to prove it.” He said coolly.

The older alpha groaned.  “He’s gonna kill me for not following the rules.  He’s not a spring chicken anymore but he can still kick my ass Noct.”

“Only because you don’t fight back.”

“Like you would hit your dad either!”

Noct nodded ruefully.  “Point taken.  Don’t worry about it I won’t let you take the blame.  You didn’t do anything wrong.”

They only had a few more minutes of silent worrying before there was a soft knock at the front door.  Noct put his hands up to stop Gladio from getting up and went to the door himself.  He wasn’t sure what to expect when he opened it but he was greeted with a look of fatherly concern that instantly eased his anxiety.   Ushering Clarus into the foyer he sighed wondering if the elder would share his opinion regarding the council’s behavior.   

The king’s shield broke the silence first. “Where is he?”

“Everyone is in the living room right now.” He answered walking with him down the hall.

When Clarus entered the space Prompto smiled and gave a small wave.  He was always a little nervous around Gladio’s dad.  He knew the power he wielded and didn’t want to ever get on his bad side.  Gladio constantly reassured the blonde that he was liked but it never stopped him from being as polite as possible in Clarus’ presence. 

Gladio nodded to his father and carefully slid Ignis’ feet off his lap so as not wake him. “He’s been resting mostly.  He had a rough week from what we can tell.” He announced quietly.

Clarus approached the sofa and winced.  His expression was still caring but he was clearly upset at what he saw.  Noct spoke up after a minute of watching Clarus’ pained look.  “We need to show you some things, if you want to come in the other room?”

“Prompto, will you stay with Iggy until we get back?” Gladio asked.

Prompto nodded quickly and stayed silent as the alphas left the room.  

Once in the library Noct turned and faced his shield. “Do you want to show him first or explain how we found him?” 

“Just let him watch the footage, or at least the important bits.”

Noct cued everything up on the computer and offered the seat up to Clarus with a brief description of what parts to watch.  He and Gladio looked on as the king’s shield navigated the evidence.  Noct’s initial concern that Clarus might not view what had happened as abuse was not founded, thankfully. 

He was scowling and was clearly deep in thought.  “The council will not be happy that you got this footage.  I know you didn’t have a choice but be careful when you throw this back in their faces.  This will get ugly. 

“Lord Amicitia, there is another matter of concern.  Gladio investigated Ignis’ office as well and it seems that the council had submitted quite a lot of proposals for review while we were away.” Noct spoke solemnly. “I imagine they thought if they were prescreened and signed by Ignis that my dad would be more likely to approve them.”

Gladio cut in. “Most if not all of them I suspect were drafted to hide something solely beneficial to the council.  It doesn’t appear that Ignis signed any of them.  However, it would be wise to be careful about anything they push through to the king in the coming weeks.  I’m sure they are livid that Ignis didn’t accept any of them, if that last council meeting is anything to go on.”   

“I always knew they were conniving bastards but this has taken a disturbing turn.  I’ll bring the king up to date.  Do you feel it’s necessary for a doctor to see Ignis?” 

Noct spoke up this time. “He would decline, I’m almost sure of that.  If we had not returned a day early he would have eventually regained consciousness and crawled back to the suite on his own.  Even if the cleaning crew found him he would have lied and said he was napping.”

Gladio huffed but nodded in agreement.  “Does the council know we have the footage?”

“They might, I’m not sure.  I am the first on the list to be notified and I requested by order of the king that they stop after me.  But if they have a supporter in the security office then they most likely have been told.”  Clarus paused and sighed.   “It seems you both have your work cut out for you.  I might suggest that once you have compiled your facts that you show your omega.  He is a master tactician; I believe he would be able to add some very nice touches to whatever you come up with.”

With that final word he stood and smiled.  He hugged his son and patted the future king on the shoulder.   Gladio walked him to the door and then they were all once again seated near Ignis on the couch.

“What do you all keep looking at?” Prompto asked after a long silence. “Gladio, you were looking at it when I found you early this morning right?”

“It’s upsetting, Prompto.” Noct interjected.  “It’s security footage from the meeting with the council and outside the room where Specs collapsed.”

“Will you let me watch it?” The blonde asked tentatively.

“Of course, if you really want to.” Noct responded softly.

“Sunshine, you know you’re allowed.  You’re not an outsider, your part of our pack and our beta.  What’s ours is yours.” Gladio added firmly.  “If you want to see what we found then by all means do so.”   

Noct could see Prompto cheeks flush.  He still had trouble sometimes feeling like he was equal to his partners.  He had come a long way from when they were younger.  He always knew how to cheer them up and most importantly he had a heart of gold.  The prince couldn’t imagine life without his beta.  “I can show you the important stuff if you want.”

Prompto smiled and nodded.  “I know it’s not going to be good but I still want to see it.”

Noct got up and held out his hand for Prompto to take.  They wandered off down the hall side by side and disappeared into the library.  The prince closed the door and sat next to his love to show him the nasty things that Ignis had endured while they were away. 

 

* * *

 

 

A bright harsh light made Ignis squint as he tried to pry his eyes open.  Immediately snapping them shut he hoped to blot out the pain it caused but the light still made his head ache.  Forcing his eyes open a second time he could make out a dark room with one lone light above his head.    It felt clinical.  Almost like a doctor’s office but something was off.

A movement off to his left caught his eye and he turned his head.  Out of the darkness a figure approached, he flinched and went to move away.  Nothing happened; he couldn’t sit up or move his legs.  When he looked down he realized he was strapped to an operating table and wearing a hospital gown.   Turning back to the figure that was still slowly walking towards him he yelled for help.  He knew his mouth had moved but no words came out.  Not even a sound. 

Panic was starting to grip him.  What the hell had happened?  The figure to his left finally came close enough for him to see the face.  That made him struggle even harder to get away, it was dressed in the robes the council wore but there was no face.  Just black holes where the eyes were supposed to be and a long snake like tongue writhing in its mouth. 

Ignis’ yelled again but still there was silence.  The figure spoke now that it had stopped just inches from the side of the table.  “You never signed; I’m here to make sure you do.”  The voice sounded hollow.  Slowly the figure raised its right arm and the hand that came into view was holding a pen.    Then without warning the figure jabbed the pen into Ignis’ side just below his heart.  He screamed in pain but still couldn’t hear his voice. 

He looked around the room for anyone else and then to his horror another robed figure appeared.  As it made its way across the dark room he could see that it also clutched a pen.  The second figure reached the side of the table and raised its arm, ready to repeat the same action as the first.  He called out but still there was no sound.

What did he do to deserve this!  Where was his pack?  He felt lost in this misery until he heard his name.  Someone was calling his name.  It was getting louder and louder.  Soon he could clearly hear his alpha calling him.  Then like the dream it always was, all the pain and horror instantly faded and he awoke gasping for air. 

His heart was hammering in his chest as he focused on getting air into his lungs.  At least he didn’t feel like he was in pain anymore.  Opening his eyes he saw Gladio and sighed with relief, thank gods, he was safe.  His alpha was there and pulling him into his arms to hug him.   

“Iggy… it’s okay.  It was just a nightmare.” He breathed calmly into Ignis’ ear as he pulled him into a tight embrace.  “It wasn’t real.  Whatever happened wasn’t real.  Just breathe.”

“Tell that to my subconscious.” He sputtered with a shaky breath.  He let his body go limp in Gladio’s hold.  Feeling his warm strong arms wrapped around his body helped to dispel the fear.  It was only a dream.  Nothing more.

They stayed in each other’s embrace for a long time.  Gladio leaning back into the cushions with Ignis cradled in his lap.  The shield was humming gentle words of affection in his omega’s ear every few minutes and pushing out a calming scent to help ease his nerves.

Gladio nuzzled his nose into the advisors temple and asked kindly. “Do you want to tell me about the dream?  Sometimes it helps to talk about it.”

Ignis sighed, he knew it would probably help but he still felt icky even thinking about it.  However, deciding to forge ahead he blurted out the best summary he could think of. “The council had me strapped to an operating table and was stabbing me with pens.”  He took a deep breath and relaxed a little. “That sounds totally absurd now that I say it out loud.”  Gladio was right, it did help.

“I was actually going to say that it sounds fucking scary as shit, but it’s your dream not mine.” Gladio responded quickly.

Ignis laughed a little and smiled.  “Oh it was scary, I won’t deny that.  Very weird but still horrifying.”  He leaned his head against Gladio’s strong shoulder and reached a hand up to play with a strand of his hair.  “Your hair has gotten so long; did Prompto brush it for you while you were away?”

“Yeah, blondie loves to mess with my hair.  I think he was trying to help take my mind off of you though.”

“I’m so happy you all are back.”  Ignis sighed and looked away. “Don’t make fun of me but I don’t think I can handle being away from you all for that long again.”

“Gladio hugged the advisor tighter and whispered in his ear. “Honestly Iggy… we were lost without our omega.  You would have laughed at us.”

“Well then, we are all pathetic, I guess.” He responded with a smirk.

“Nah!  Just needy, there is a difference.”  Gladio laughed.             

Ignis was about to add another snarky comment but he heard a door open down the hall.  Looking up he saw Prompto and Noct coming into the room.  They were holding hands and both seemed burdened by something.  However when Prompto got close enough to smell the enticing scent Gladio had been pushing out to help soothe Ignis he sighed loudly.   He let go Noct’s hand and speed walked over to the couch settling right next to Gladio.  This wasn’t an easy thing to do since the shield had an arm full of Ignis sitting in his lap.

The prince followed and plopped down with a grunt on the coffee table.  “Gladio… you look like a pimp.” As he watched Prompto maneuver his body to try and get as close as possible to the shield.  

“Hey I was just trying to help calm Iggy down, he had a nightmare.  I can’t help it if blondie likes the effect too.” He responded as Prompto forcefully shoved his hand under Gladio’s arm to hold him better.

“You okay Specs?” Noct asked with a worried look.

“I am now.  You all aren’t allowed to go anywhere without me for a while but otherwise I’m fine.”  Ignis smiled at his pack and went to say more but his stomach made a loud grumbly noise. 

“Noct you wanna cook dinner for us to show us how much you care?”  Gladio asked with a hopeful grin. 

“No.  I think I should take over here and continue providing scent therapy while you go make something.  I’m sure Prompto would go with you to help.” He said looking over at the blonde.  His pupils were dilated and he had a goofy grin on his face.     

“You got to hug Ignis all night and now you want to steal him again!” Gladio huffed. 

“I was asleep it’s not the same.  I need awake time… right Specs?” The prince offered with a small smile and large blue eyes. 

Normally Ignis wouldn’t let his pack smother him with attention.  It made him feel like a needy omega even though they all would say it was because they loved him.   But the look on Noct’s face was breaking his resolve.  “Fine.” He relented. 

After a few minutes of shuffling Noct had replaced Gladio on the couch and had Ignis in his arms.   Gladio and Prompto went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. 

 

* * *

 

 

Ignis sat cross legged in his chair at the dining room table with a look of pure bliss.  The dinner that had been made was delicious and he was starting to feel normal.    He hadn’t realized how much stress he had been under the whole week or how many meals he had skipped.  Still something seemed like it was hanging in the air.  “May I ask why you all seem out of sorts?”  he asked suddenly.

Gladio sighed and looked at Noct before responding. “We are all upset about how the council treated you.”

“They won’t try again, I’m not alone anymore.” Ignis replied matter-of-factly. 

“Uh… that’s not exactly the issue.” Prompto interjected.  “They abused you and that’s not right.”

“They have been abusing people for a long time and I don’t think there is much we can do to stop them.” The advisor sighed.

“Gladio got the footage from the council meeting and the hallway where you collapsed.  We have been gathering evidence to make a formal complaint.”  Noct announced.

Ignis sat stunned for a moment.  He hadn’t realized so much had happened right under his nose.  “What exactly would we lodge a complaint about? I could have left the meeting of my own accord.  They weren’t forcing me to stay.”

“We all know that they would have just turned the tables and complained about you instead. They are dickheads.” Gladio said as he leaned back in his chair. 

“They had food delivered for themselves only.  There was no water in the room.  They forced you to stand.  They didn’t take a break during the session.  They inundated you with misleading proposals in hopes of tricking you.  It’s manipulative and they shouldn’t be allowed to continue!”  Noct angrily responded slamming his fist on the table.  “We have to try.”

Ignis didn’t have a rebuff.  He looked at his pack and they all seemed determined to do something, what could it hurt if they gave it a shot.  “Very well.  What do you propose we do?” 

 

* * *

 

 

Three hours later all four men were sprawled in various spots around the suite.  Ignis had been installed again in his corner spot full of pillows.  This time he had his laptop and was busily typing up something.  Gladio was on the floor laying spread eagle with an arm slung over his face.  Noct was in no better shape as he hung off the arm of the sofa.  Prompto was still at the dining room table researching things on moogle. 

“Dad was right, this isn’t easy.”  Gladio groaned.  “Every time we think of something there is some reason it won’t work.  Stupid council… can’t we just throw eggs at them.” 

Ignis looked up from his computer and blinked slowly a few times.  “We could but the fallout from that act would be very, very bad.”  He immediately went back to typing with a hint of a smile on his face.

“What are you typing up over there anyway Iggy?” 

“I am making a timeline of my activities from last week.  Including meetings, requests, and anything else that seemed pertinent.  I am nearly done; hopefully this along with the footage will help make a good enough case for whatever we decide to accuse the council of.”      

“Right now it’s not looking so good.  They are sneaky bastards.”  Gladio whined.

“Guys…. hey… I think I found something.”  Prompto piped up from the table.  “Did you know that there is a committee dedicated to handling dynamic discrimination?  It’s supposedly under the human resources branch here at the citadel.” 

“That’s a touchy subject, half of Eos struggles with that on a daily basis. I’m not sure some committee can do much to make a change.”  Noct grumbled.   “I can’t even imagine how they deal with everyone’s differing opinions on heats and the like.”

Prompto was so engrossed in what he was reading on his computer screen he took a few moments to respond.  “They have a website and the stuff they are describing is pretty much what Ignis went through.  They don’t even cover the sexual stuff Noct.  This is strictly non-heat workplace related.”

“Do you have to join or go to a meeting?”  Noct asked.  This was the first time he had ever heard of this committee.  Though not surprising since the internal community at the citadel was enormous and there were hundreds of divisions and departments he had never known existed.  

“No… I think you can request a private consultation.  There is a form you fill out online first.”

“Are you comfortable giving them some information Specs?”

Ignis was about to respond when Prompto cut in again. “It says everything will be kept confidential and that once a review is made of the supplied documentation a meeting will be setup.” 

“It’s Saturday, I’m sure we would have to wait until Monday or even later to get an appointment even if we submitted paperwork tonight.” Gladio replied.

“So do you want to try?” Noct asked again.

Ignis knew that there were really no other options left. He couldn’t think of a reason not to try.  Worst case this committee couldn’t do a thing and they would be back to square one or reduced to buying a carton of eggs.   “Should I submit my timeline? I wrote it so as to leave out any confidential details.”

Prompto looked so happy when Ignis asked.  He got up from the table with his computer and ran over to the sofa to sit next to the advisor.  “Yes, you should totally send it in.  Do you guys have a way to compress that footage so we can send it as well?” 

“We can take screenshots that would be better.”  Noct said he as he disentangled himself from the sofa arm.  “Gladio can you do that on your computer?  You have the files.”

It took 45 minutes to fill out the online request for review and submit all the evidence they had gathered.  It was pushing midnight by the time they finally finished.  

“I’m so excited; I hope they read their messages tomorrow.”

“The likely hood of that happening is very low Prompto.”  Ignis lamented.

“Well I can hope. You may not be the only workaholic at the citadel you know!” The blonde responded with a laugh.     

Ignis went to add more but yawned instead.  “I think I’ve reached my limit for today.” 

“Why don’t we all just go to bed and hope the astrals have placed another over achiever in the committee for dynamic discrimination office.” Noct spit out.

Gladio went to scold Noct for his crass attitude but Ignis’ laugh stopped him.  “Yes Noct, we can always hope.  Now more importantly I have 50 gil that says you can’t carry me to bed without taking a breather.”  The advisor was grinning and had cast his computer aside while awaiting transport to the bedroom.

“Wait… what?  You want me to carry you?” Noct sputtered. 

“Yes, bridal carry and you’re stalling.”

“You can walk just fine, why do you need me to carry you?”

“Gladio, he is weak, I thought you had him trained better.  He grew up to be an invalid.”

“He’s the crown prince Iggy, I don’t think 50 gil is much of an incentive.”  

“Hey!  That’s not the reason, I have a bad back and you all know it.”

“Can I try? 50 gil is a lot!”  Prompto blurted out. 

 

* * *

 

 

The scene that unfolded next was pure silliness.  Prompto the leanest member of the group managed to lift Ignis off the couch after his second attempt.  Gladio was impressed he knew the blonde was tough but still wasn’t sure he would be able to complete his task. 

Ignis wasn’t helping the situation; he had his arms wrapped around Prompto’s neck and was whispering things to him.  The beta would giggle and loose his footing trying desperately to not drop the advisor.   “Ignis, come on stop it, I can’t focus when you talk like that!”  This just prompted the omega to lean in and say something else.

Gladio almost had to intervene when Prompto nearly dropped Ignis but he recovered and made it to the bed finally.

Collapsing with Ignis still in his arms Prompto sighed heavily.  “I think I should get more than 50 gil for that ride.  I didn’t know you would be talking dirty to me on the way!”

Gladio stopped at the foot of the bed with wide eyes.  “Tricky dick.” 

Ignis smirked and yawned again.  “I missed you all, I’m just having fun.”   

Noct wandered in and paused. “Did you just say he was talking dirty?  Wha… I missed that.  Damn it Specs why didn’t you tell me first!”

“To the victor go the spoils.” He announced as he crawled under the covers. 

Gladio immediately stripped down to his boxers and jumped in the bed next to Ignis.  Prompto quickly followed suit and snuggled into Ingis’ other side.  Noct groaned and walked away to brush his teeth, resigned to his spot on the end of the bed. 

Ignis was so grateful for his mates; they were working hard to take care of him.  He wondered when or if they would hear back from the committee office.  He couldn’t imagine what options they would have to help but they would have to wait to find out.    He stopped thinking about it and let sleep pull him under while he nuzzled up against Gladio’s warm body.


	4. Checkmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unfortunate development indicates that the council may be one step ahead. Ignis will need to rely on his pack to stand by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its done! Thanks to everybody who stuck with my little story. :) I had some trouble ending this one as I just kept trying to add more fluff. Well hope you enjoy anyway!

Why did he have to check his email, he knew better.  His mates had tried to get him to relax and insisted he stop worrying so much.  They had spent most of Sunday relaxing and snuggling on the couch binge watching movies.  This tact worked for a better part of the day but come dinner time Ignis could no longer take the wait.

The email message notification binged as he was sitting at the bar watching Gladio and Prompto cook dinner. Opening the app on his phone his heart sank once he saw the subject line.  _‘Mandatory Council Meeting 7:00AM Monday’_ that was all the email said. His pesky inner omega instantly wanted to start balling and fighting that impulse was practically impossible given his current mental state.  Opting to give in he let the tears come and stream down his face as he quietly sobbed.

Instantly he was surrounded by Noct, Gladio, and Prompto.  All three were trying to figure out what had happened.  He finally managed to show them his phone. “I can’t get out of this one.” He choked out as he caught his breath.

“Well we will be going with you this time, so you having nothing to be afraid of.  If any of them come even remotely close to you with a pen I’ll deck em in the face.” Gladio retorted.

Noct looked at Gladio confused.  “Why a pen?  They use pens in the meeting all the time.” 

“His nightmare yesterday, remember?”

“Oh shit… sorry Specs.” 

Ignis groaned and rested his head in his hands, his tears having already ceased.  “Do we have eggs?”

“We’re cooking for you, don’t worry about the ingredients Ignis.” Prompto quickly interjected.

“It’s not for cooking; we would need ski masks too.  Gladio you couldn’t come they would pick you out of a line up in a heartbeat.  You could be the getaway driver instead.”

“What the hell are you talking about Specs?” Noct asked as he rubbed the advisors back.

“I think he wants to hurl eggs at the council.” Gladio responded with a smirk.

Ignis was staring off into the kitchen.  “What could they possibly want to do to me now?  Don’t leave me alone with them even if they push for it. I won’t be held accountable for my actions.  Noct, you gave me access to the armiger and I’ll use it if I have to.”

Gladio sighed and pulled Ignis off the stool and into a hug.  “We promise you will be safe, we won’t let them do anything to you.”   

“Noct? You okay over there?” Prompto asked as he looked over to the prince.  He was clearly lost in thought. 

“Huh… oh… I was just imagining Ignis going bat shit crazy on them with his daggers, slicing up robes and scaring the shit out of them.” 

Ignis hummed thoughtfully against Gladio’s chest.  “Hey Noct, watch it you are giving him ideas!” The shield exclaimed as he let his arms drop to the advisors waist.  

“Sorry, this is silly of me to be acting this way.  It’s just a meeting.  The worst they could do is fire me and I think you would just rehire me once the meeting ended.” He sighed.

Despite his statement his pack had to work hard for the rest of the evening to distract Ignis and help take his mind off the meeting.  They succeeded only marginally but it was still better than moping around the suite for the rest of the night.  By 10:00pm the committee for dynamic discrimination hadn’t emailed so they all tumbled into bed instead hoping to get some rest. 

 

* * *

 

 

Ignis was the first to wake on Monday morning; he couldn’t help it he had been awake for hours unable to sleep.  Forcing himself out of bed he wandered into the closet to select a nice three piece suit.  He could at least look his best while dealing with the council.   He spent the next thirty minutes sitting at the dining room table alone staring at the coffee mug in his hands. 

He was roused from his stupor when heard footsteps behind him.  Turning he was greeted with Gladio and Prompto dressed in their crownsguard uniforms.  The shield must have had Prompto help him because his hair was braided as well.  Ignis assumed that even though Noct said he would go that he would still be unable to get up in time.  The prince surprised him when he appeared only a few minutes later in his royal attire. 

“Remind me to ban meetings this early.” He huffed.  “This is torture.” 

“We best get a move on to see what awaits us.” Ignis replied quietly.

Gladio took the advisors hand in his as they walked down the hall towards the elevator.  Thankfully they didn’t have to hide their affection.  That battle with the council had already been won years ago.  The four of them had simply registered their pack with the domestic partnership office and requested a companionship license.  The council had tried to stop the approval of the license but they failed.  A formal ceremony was held shortly after the approval and that was the end of it.   

Approaching the large double doors to the meeting hall Ignis took a deep breath and he prepared himself for the scent.  The unmistakable council alpha scent, they never bothered to tone down their pheromones.  It was their method of intimidation.  He knew it would drain his energy combating the effects but he could usually handle it.  However the last meeting with the council had pushed him beyond his limits.  He hoped his body could take another onslaught so soon after the last one. 

The four men entered the space and the whole council was already there and seated.  They weren’t the only ones in the room though; a group of five glaive soldiers were standing along the far wall.   Ignis didn’t recognize any of them.

The senior council member Lord Spinosus stood from the table and turned to address one of the glaive. “Captain, if you would please arrest Ignis Scientia immediately.  He is being charged with breaking protocol 65B-2 by obtaining an illegal copy of council meeting footage.” 

Ignis suddenly felt lightheaded.  That was not what he had been expecting.  Gladio let go of his hand but before his brain could process that action the shield had moved directly in front him. 

“That accusation needs proof councilman.  Until that is provided I will forcibly stop any attempt to arrest Scientia.”  Gladio spoke clearly with a commanding tone. 

Prompto stayed silent but took up a defensive stance on Ignis’ left side.  He was prepared to help if need be. 

Noct who honestly had most likely been sleepwalking up until that point came to with a vengeance. “Councilman Spinosus my shield is correct. You must provide proof.”  He snarled.

“Proof?!” He scoffed.  “Your highness I’m afraid you can’t get him out of this mess.  You, your shield, and royal photographer were all out of the city at the time of the incident.” 

“Do you have proof of _that_ Spinosus?” Noct asked coolly.  “I believe I have several glaive and crownsguard that will swear to accompanying me and my entourage back to Insomnia a day early.”

Spinosus face twitched at that statement and before he could speak Noct continued. “I also don’t think my advisor was physically capable of requesting that footage you are referencing.  He suffered a medical emergency right after your session ended and collapsed on the floor just outside these very chambers.”  That final statement elicited a few gasps from some of the council members.   They clearly had no idea what had happened.

“Well someone got a copy of that footage before it was deleted.  I intend to find out who!” Spinosus shouted.  “This is a serious offence and I won’t stand by as this council is made a mockery of.” 

It became clear to Ignis that he was stalling.  Obviously unsure of how to proceed, he was thinking on the spot.

“I still believe that Scientia should be held in a cell until we are clear as to what has occurred.” 

Gladio spoke up before Spinosus could add more. “I repeat again, I _will_ forcibly stop any attempt to arrest Scientia.” 

“Spinosus, that seems harsh, did you know he collapsed?” An older councilman named Capra asked from across the table. “I don’t believe he would have been able to secure that footage.  He probably shouldn’t even be here.  He should be resting.” 

The senior council member huffed and threw an angry glare at Capra.  The look worked and the older gentleman pinched his mouth shut and looked away. 

Suddenly the doors to the room opened again and the king and his shield walked in.  They weren’t alone.  Walking behind them was a group of three people.  A petite woman with hair drawn up so tight in a bun it looked like she could barely blink.  She had two men with her; both were larger than Gladio and the juxtaposition of the three together was comical. 

Everyone in the room quickly bowed and turned to face the king.  Spinosus pushing his luck blurted out his objective again. “My king I wish to inform you that Ignis Scientia has broken Protoc-“

“No need to lie to my face Spinosus.” Regis snapped.  “I am aware of the situation.”

“I’m not lying!” He sputtered. 

Regis gave him a knowing look and shook his head.  “Allow me to introduce Miss Faber from the committee that handles dynamic discrimination and her two associates.” 

Ignis couldn’t help the small noise he made at that announcement.  This was all too much.  Unfortunately that was all it took for Miss Faber to draw her sights on him.  She briskly walked over to the advisor and stopped short in front of the prince. 

“Your highness, may I be permitted to question your omega?”  She asked with a neutral expression.

Noct didn’t know how to respond at first.  “That’s his decision.” He answered a second later.   

Miss Faber smiled approvingly and looked to Ignis.  “Mr. Scientia, may I speak with you a moment?”

“Here or in private?” His voice cracked as he responded. 

Miss Faber went to add more but paused. “Oh my, are you quite alright?  You should sit down.”  She reached her short little arm in between Gladio and Noct and grabbed his hand.  Surprisingly she had quite a strong grip and pulled rather forcefully to extract him from his safety zone. 

Ignis suddenly realized that she was an alpha.  The funniest looking one he had ever seen, but still an alpha.  She led him over to a chair along the wall and instructed him to sit.    His pack followed behind and resumed their defensive positions once he sat down.

Being able to sit was a blessing.  He wasn’t sure how long he could have remained standing if the standoff had continued.  He became aware that he was sweating, that must have been what Miss Faber had noticed.  Or perhaps he just smelled distressed.  She was an alpha and would have been perceptive to that. 

“This is a wasteful distraction Miss Faarrr…” Spinosus slurred her name having already forgotten it.  “I insist you let us continue our investigation of Scientia’s misconduct.” He exclaimed walking over towards them.  Before he could make it within 10 feet Miss Faber’s two associates were blocking his path.    “What is the meaning of this?  Move aside!  That _omega_ has stolen footage from us!” The senior councilman sneered at Ignis when he said his last sentence.

Miss Faber straightened up at the mention of footage and shooed her associates aside.  “I wasn’t aware that security footage from a hallway was covered by protocol 65B-2.” 

“No! Not from the hallway, footage from _this_ room was taken.”  Spinosus huffed.

“Oh, well that changes things.” She said thoughtfully.

Ignis’ felt his resolve slipping away.  His heartrate was already double what is should be and now it appeared this alpha woman might be siding with the council. 

“Lord Spinosus are you telling me that there is more footage available that proves the abuse case that was submitted to us?  I was under the impression that only the hallway footage existed.”  She whipped out a little notebook from a pocket in her bright red suit and quickly scribbled some notes.  “Yes, this definitely changes things.” 

“Abuse case!?  What on Eos are you talking about you crazy little woman?” Spinosus shouted.  He was losing his composure. 

Miss Faber didn’t react at all to his comment.  “Lord Spinosus, we will be formally opening a case against the council for abuse towards other dynamics.  If you are able to supply the footage from this room it may help your case.  Are you able to do so?”

The councilman blinked stupidly.  “Opening a case against us?” 

“Will you be able to supply the footage or not?”

The councilman was starting to turn red in the face. “You stupid woman, I don’t want anyone to see it!” The second the words left his mouth he knew he had messed up.  “But that’s not because it has anything of interest on it.  It’s just private and… and… well… that’s not the point!” He sputtered.

Miss Faber put up her hand to silence him and turned to everyone else in the room.  “If anyone has the footage from the last council session please speak up, no charges will be filed.  I will assume that the footage was not in fact downloaded and doesn’t exist if it is not presented to me in the next two minutes.” 

Ignis thought he was going to pass out right in the chair and make a scene when his head cracked open on the floor.  However, he managed to control his breathing and stay conscious.  Meanwhile no one in the room moved a muscle.  All that was heard was Lord Bassus disturbing wheeze he made when breathing.  

“Very well, since it appears you don’t have any proof that the footage does exist, councilman Spinosus, I will have to move to my next measure.” 

“I never said I didn’t have proof!”

The alpha looked at him and waited.  Nothing happened and Spinosus looked away thus ending the discussion. 

“Good, I will be initiating phase two.  I have been given express permission by the king to go forward with my plan.  My associates and I will be accompanying you, Lord Spinosus, to all of your meetings for the next three weeks to determine whether or not you are guilty of abusing other dynamics.”

Spinosus sputtered where he stood and shook his head.  “No you will not!  I have official and private business that I must conduct.  You will not be allowed to follow me anywhere!” The vein in the center of his forehead was protruding now.

The king broke his silence. “I’m afraid that will be the case councilman, I have given my express permission.  I wouldn’t want discrimination of any kind to be occurring in the citadel.” He offered from the seat he had taken earlier.

Miss Faber continued again. “Once three weeks have been completed we will be moving on to all the other members of the council.”   After her statement there was a collective groan from the room.   “Shall we get started?  I believe you have an appointment coming up soon Lord Spinosus. Shall we start walking?  I’m not sure how long it takes someone of your age to get from one side of the citadel to the other.”

Ignis looked over to see Noct biting his lips to keep from laughing out loud.  Gladio and Prompto looked shocked.  This was not how he expected this meeting to go at all. 

Lord Spinosus huffed and walked out the door with Miss Faber and her two associates following.  The glaives left with him, clearly having received their orders from Spinosus.  The rest of the council slowly got up and collected their things to leave. 

Ignis leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, he needed to lie down.  Why was it that the stupid council always made it impossible for him to get his work done?   A protective low growl from Gladio broke his train of thought and made him snap his eyes open.  Two of the council members had come over to see the advisor.  The older one Lord Capra raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.  Gladio edged in closer to Ignis and crossed his arms over his chest as the councilman started to speak. 

“I’m sorry Scientia, I didn’t realize you had collapsed.  I wasn’t aware that these meetings could cause such stress for an omega.”

The other councilman spoke next.  “No, we weren’t aware.” He frowned.  “Lord Spinosus seems to have a personal vendetta out for you.” He looked to Lord Capra and spoke again.  “I think we may need to be more careful about what Spinosus is asking of us next time Capra.”  The two shook their head in agreeance and bowed slightly to Ignis before leaving.  

Soon it was just his pack, the king, and Lord Amicitia in the room with him.  He felt drained and it was only 7:50am.  He sighed realizing that he still had the rest of the day to deal with and he remembered his office again.  “I fear I cannot stay here gentlemen.  I have to organize my office and catch up with everything that was left behind after the council’s meddling.”

“No you don’t Ignis. Relax; you still need to take it easy.” Clarus said as he handed him a glass of water.  

The advisor went to protest but the king cut him off.  “Clarus is correct; you won’t be doing any work today or the rest of the week for that matter.  After what I read in that submission to the dynamic discrimination committee I think you deserve a very big break.” Sighing he continued.   “I didn’t realize how early those grumpy old men had set the meeting or I would have been here to stop them earlier.” 

“So you don’t like mornings either then, huh.” Noct asked suddenly. 

Regis rolled his eyes and looked at Prompto.  “I don’t know how you put up with him.” 

The blonde giggled.  “He’s nice to me.  It helps.”

“I suggest that you all take care of your omega and make sure he gets plenty of rest.  Break his phone if you have to.” 

“What about my office?” Ignis lamented.

“I told you we would help you with that Iggy.  I meant it.” Gladio chimed in. 

“Fine, I guess I can take a small break.”  He sighed and then gulped down the rest of the water.  He stood from the chair slowly unsure if his body was going to give up on him again.   Taking a small step he waivered slightly and then had the wind knocked out of him when Prompto was instantly by his side clinging to his waist.  

Once both parties had said their goodbyes, Ignis and his mates wandered back to the suite.

 

* * *

 

 

“Was that spunky little lady an alpha?” Noct asked when they were in the elevator going up to the suite.

“Yes, you didn’t feel her grip either.  She was a strong _little lady_.” The advisor added wistfully.   

When they were all in the suite Noct immediately suggested they go back to bed.  The idea seemed a little absurd at first but one look at Ignis’ tired face and they all agreed.

Noct put a hand on the small of Ignis’ back and ushered him into the bedroom. “We can get started; those two will be out here for 10 mins getting those crazy boots off.”

The prince tried to steer Ignis towards the closet so he could change but he went straight for the bed.  “Hey!  No, no, no, you need to change first.  Come on!” He grabbed his wrist to pull him but his omega had other plans in mind and tugged Noct towards the bed.  Noct didn’t know how but Ignis managed to literally drag him to the bed.  Having an omega that was taller and stronger than you was problematic sometimes and wrangling Ignis into doing something he didn’t want to do was damn near impossible.

They fell in a tangled heap on the bed, feet dangling off the side.  “You gonna sleep with your suit on Specs?”  Noct asked with a grin.

“Mmm hmmmn.  I’m a workaholic remember.”  He mumbled. 

Noct felt a small pang of guilt.  “Well you’re not working for this week so maybe you can lose the suit.”  He sighed and went to add more but a squeal of laughter broke out from the other room.  Looking up he waited listening for more.  It sounded like a bunch of three year olds were chasing each other around the suite. 

Ignis furrowed his brow as he looked to Noct.  “Should we see if they need help?” 

“Um… I’m scared that if we go out there we will get included in their ‘fun’.” The prince said emphasizing the word fun with air quotes.   

“When I said we, I really meant you.  I’m not getting up again until lunch.” Ignis replied with a quirked eyebrow.

Noct rolled his eyes and sighed. “I missed you, ya know… I hope you know that.” He paused and looked into Ignis’ expressive green eyes. “And I would do anything to make sure you were safe, including exiling the entire council.”

“You did a fine job today.  I’m proud of you.  I couldn’t have handled that meeting alone.”  Ignis sighed. 

“We will always have your back.  Don’t worry.” Noct smiled. “I’m just glad we all listened to you and never submitted that footage from the meeting hall.  We have the only copy!” He said knowingly.   “Hey… did they stop? It got really quiet all of the sudden.” 

He heard shuffling footsteps and then the door burst open and Gladio strutted in with Prompto slung over his shoulder.  The blonde looked like a limp noodle, he was breathing heavily and half his uniform was gone.  All that was left were pants and a tank top that was half falling off. 

“Are you okay Prompto?” Noct asked laughing.

“He attacked me.” He groaned as his arms hung loosely. 

“It’s not my fault; he wiggled his cute little freckled foot in my face when he was taking his boots and socks off.  I couldn’t help but tickle it.” Gladio said with a smirk. 

“Why don’t you deposit your prize Gladio, so we can help mister difficult over here out of his suit.” Noct offered.     

Gladio hummed his approval and gently shrugged Prompto off his shoulder and onto the bed next to Ignis.  “Sleepy now Sunshine?”

“Wha… you did all that to make me tired!” The blonde wailed. 

“Did it work?”

“Yeah…”  He responded sheepishly.  Yawning he began to undo his pants to shimmy out of them and crawl under the covers of the bed. 

Ignis was almost asleep when Noct and Gladio were done peeling him out his immaculate suit.  Between the two of them it was fairly easy to get him moved under the covers next to Prompto.  The prince and his shield were quick to follow and despite the bright light filtering through the curtains they all drifted into a peaceful slumber.    

 

* * *

 

 

Gladio felt something poking him in the face.  It was gentle but it was waking him up.   Prying his eyes open he saw Ignis propped up on one elbow.  The advisor was pushing his index finger into Gladio’s cheek.  He stopped when the shield opened his eyes. 

“Oh good you’re awake…. Feed me.”

Gladio laughed.  “Will you be helping me or staying here?”

“I can help.  I might need to sit down but I’m alert enough to be of some assistance I believe.”

Gladio smiled and stretched until his back cracked.  “Let me grab you a bathrobe and then we can check out the kitchen and get some food started.” 

Once in the kitchen Gladio drug a bar stool in so Ignis could sit and work with him.  Working mostly in silence the shield would steal kisses anytime he handed something off to Ignis to prepare for him.  The advisor was looking more refreshed than he had all weekend.  He was swinging his legs freely off the stool and looked so youthful Gladio couldn’t help but stare. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ignis queried when he caught Gladio staring at him.   

“I’m just happy that you are getting better, we were all worried about you.  You’re our omega and when you get hurt we get a little crazy.”

Ignis paused for a moment before he responded. “Thank you for standing up for me today.  It was quite an experience to be protected by my pack and I’m sorry I caused you all so much stress.”

Gladio smiled and walked over to close the gap between them.  “Don’t be sorry.  I love you Ignis.  I will always be here to protect you.” He leaned in and kissed his omega gently on the lips.   Feeling a little emboldened Gladio wiggled in-between Ignis’ legs and wrapped his arms around the advisors waist. Continuing with his kiss he slipped his tongue into Ignis mouth. 

They kissed lazily for a few minutes and Gladio had Ignis happily humming.  When they finally broke apart he looked down to see Ignis’ perfectly content face staring back.  “Did you enjoy that?”

“Mmnnn I did and I’ll enjoy it again after you feed me.”   

“Six Iggy!  You’re a man on a mission aren’t you?”  Gladio exclaimed shaking his head.  He was grateful that he had been able to care for his omega and show Ignis how much he meant to his pack and to him. Now to plan out an entire week of nothing but relaxing.  


	5. BONUS BLURB

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A suggestion was made for a funny bonus sequence featuring Ignis. Enjoy it's short! :)

Reaching into the armiger Ignis carefully selected his weapon.  It had to be the right size and shape in order to inflict the correct amount of damage.  His final choice felt smooth and cool in his hands, it was perfect.

Now to attack.

He ran towards his target and then when he was still twenty feet away he hurled his weapon and warped after it.  His enemy came into view a few seconds later, his shiny balding head a beacon on the battlefield.  Grasping his weapon once again he elegantly spun once and hurled his perfectly chosen egg at the councilmember in front of him. 

It made a satisfying splat noise as it cracked on Lord Spinosus head.  Ignis had never felt so alive during battle.  He continued his assault reloading from the armiger until he was out of eggs.  The meeting room was littered with egg shell and the bodies of the councilmembers were strewn about covered in raw egg.

Yes, this was a fantastic feeling.

“Disgusting assholes!  That’s what you get for picking on me!” Ignis shouted as he bolted upright on the sofa.  Blinking stupidly he looked around and was greeted with the surprised faces of his pack. 

“You okay over there Iggy?” Gladio asked with a smirk from his seat on the floor in Ignis’ office.  The advisor had been whining that his office was a disaster for the past two days.  The only way to placate him was to offer to help clean it.  But once they all started Gladio had insisted that Ignis sit on the sofa knowing he might fall asleep.  He had been peacefully dozing for an hour before his sudden outburst.

“Uh… yes, I believe I’m fine.” Ignis responded finally.

“Bad dream?” Noct asked from his spot across from Gladio.

“Oh no, not at all.  Quite nice actually.” 

“Are you gonna try and go back to sleep to dream again?” Prompto piped up from his desk where he was peering over piles of papers.  “Sometimes I can jump right back in where I left off.”

Noct went to add something but Ignis cut him off. “Oh! Yes, that is a very good idea Prompto.  I was able to warp and store eggs in the armiger.  I might be able to dream it again if I go right back to sleep.”  He held his fingers up to his lips and shook his head at his mates to ensure the conversation stopped.  Rolling over he let out a satisfied sigh and happily tumbled back into sleep.    

Gladio was biting his hand trying not to laugh out loud.  “Go get em Iggy.” He whispered as he smiled at Noct and Prompto.


End file.
